Tripping Toward the Morn
by wickedtrue
Summary: The Silver Millennium." Minako licked her lips and pushed on. "Our past. Who we were. Do you think we're the same people from before? Are we different? Are we going to be the people we were again, once we're older?" A Senshi/Shitennou character study.
1. Stumble

_A prequel to Normal Enough. It helps to read them together, but both are pretty stand alone. The whole series is a study on what it might be like for the characters to start remembering their past lives. I love this time period of the series. It has so much potential! More parts to come in this universe. It's just too much fun!_

* * *

She was panting. The tree bark was rough against her back where her dress had been unlaced and fallen open. The man's hair was long; she knew because her fingers were twisted in the length of it.

It was a dream. She knew that. Because where else would she be braced against a tree with her long skirts shoved up over her hips and a man kneeling between her knees? Certainly not her current love life, that was for sure.

She was saying something, she thought begging him not to stop, but she wasn't sure. He replied back, his voice vibrating intimately against her and it was all she needed to--

"Minako!!" Artemis shouted right into her ear.

"Ah!" Minako woke up with a start and sent her guardian cat flying across the room. It took her a moment to remember she was not half naked against a tree in some orchard. No, she was (alone) in her bed, and it was bright outside her window. …bright outside her window.

"Iie! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?! I have volleyball practice before class!" Minako began a mad dash around her room, throwing off pajamas and hurrying into her uniform. Artemis covered his eyes with his paws and expertly maneuvered himself out from under her feet in a way that only came from years of practice.

"I tried three times in the last hour, and you kept saying 'five more minutes' -- don't you dare--!"

Too late! Minako jumped out her second story bedroom window with her school satchel gripped between her teeth. She landed with a backflip and started running. If she kept up the pace, she just might make it after warm-ups and only have to do a few laps before class.

***

She was up a tree. It was a tall tree with thick, winding branches and large, umbrella shaped leaves. Above her, the sky was filled with stars and a full Earth presenting Australia. Below her, the large leaves mostly hid her from view of those wandering the gardens. Excellent place for hiding. And ambushing.

There was her target.

"V-chan!"

Closer. Closer…

"V-chan, where are you?"

She wrapped her legs around the thick branch and rolled so she was now hanging upside down just above her target's head. Reaching out, she was about to undo one silver pigtail when Princess Serenity turned her face upward and shrieked.

"Oi, V-chan!" Usagi was waving a hand in front of Minako's face. "Come back, V-chan!"

"We were offering you chocolate, but you were zoned right out, Mina-chan," Makoto told her. "You know, that's Usagi-chan's job."

"Iie!" Usagi turned on Makoto. "That's not fair!"

"But it's true!" Minako joined in. "We know that if you're spacing out around food that means we need to have a serious meeting!"

Usagi pouted, and both Makoto and Minako relented with hugs and more offers of the leftovers from their bentos.

"Are you all right, Mina-chan?" Ami asked quietly as they were packing up to head back to their afternoon classes. "You were quiet for most of the day."

"I'm fine, Ami-chan," she assured and threw her arm over the other girl's shoulders. "I guess I overdid it during practice, that's all."

Ami watched her out of the corner of her eye for a moment before nodding to herself. "If you're sure. But tell me if you're still feeling odd in a few days." She knocked her hip against Minako's and offered a small smile.

"I will, Ami-chan. Promise!"

***

She was on a horse, and she wasn't alone. There was a man riding behind her, one of his arms wrapped around her waist to help keep her in the saddle. It was cool out, though that might have had more to do with the fact she was only wrapped in a blanket and nothing else. The man behind her was little better, but he at least had pants to help protect himself from saddle rub.

The horse was walking slowly up a rocky incline, bobbing her with each step.

"If I did not know you better, I would think the rumors were true."

"Mmm?" The man made a questioning noise that started deep in his chest.

She tipped her head back and lazily kissed the underside of his well defined chin. His skin was dark, his chin was rough with stubble, but his face was a blur. She only had the impression of very green eyes. "That you carry off women and ravish them on the backs of your horses."

He laughed, a deep bass sound. "I am a barbarian king," he reminded her. His hand crept under the blanket and over her belly. "You can barely stay astride my horse now, princess," he breathed into her ear. "Do you wish to tempt me further?"

Minako opened her eyes. The window was open over her bed and the sun was just beginning to set, but it did little to help against the summer heat. She sat up on her elbows then made a face. She had forgotten to take off her school uniform before she had laid down.

"Ech," she said to herself. Now she was going to be all wrinkly tomorrow.

"Speak for yourself," Artemis muttered and lashed his tail in annoyance. He was curled in a ball next to her hip.

Minako smiled and scratched behind her guardian's ears. "Just because you look like a cat right now doesn't mean you get to sleep twenty-three hours a day." Artemis opened one eye to glare at her before rolling and letting his belly be scratched.

"Were you dreaming again?" he asked. Minako made a noncommittal noise. Artemis swatted at her hand then settling himself in her lap. "You were dreaming of the past. Just like you used to do before we found the others."

"Yeah, okay. You got me, kitty." She continued to rub Artemis from head to tail. When he began to purr, her smile returned full force. "It's okay, I promise. Just stress from exams and…everything. It'll go away soon."

***

The air was filled with smoke and the clanging sound of metal meeting metal. She could not see, her vision blurred by the haze and the sweat leaked into her eyes. Her golden chain was wrapped tightly around her wrist as she felt her way along the edge of a rust colored trench toward the sounds of violence.

She knew she was in command of some battle. It was not going as planned. This was not her world. The sky was the color of spilt wine, the desert ground red, and not from the blood of the war around her. She hated this place.

There was a shadow in the cloud of smoke ahead. She leapt, and a fireball scorched the earth where she had been to black glass. Her whip shot out at her mental command, and she felt it connect. With a yank, her attacker landed at her feet.

Sailor Mars was sprawled on her knees before her with the golden chain wrapped around her neck. The senshi had thrown up one of her arms up to keep the chain from becoming a noose. The palm pointed at her was still smoking. Her own fist was glowing gold.

"Stand down!" She shouted.

Mars' red eyes burned up at her. "Release me!"

"Not until you stand down!" She shouted again into the din. She knew, she knew deep down, that Mars had not known it was her when the other senshi had released her fire. But, if she had been killed, her second-in-command would not have wept for her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the line of creatures step out of the haze. She let loose her chain and blasted the twisted things with light from both hands. Mars threw a fireball the moment the chain dissolved. Venus felt the searing heat on her face as it passed by and the tips of her hair were singed.

Turning her head, she watched two more of those creatures shriek and wither in the flames.

"The right flank lines have broken," she informed the other senshi. "Pull together what you can with the center column. I'll join you with what is left of my army. We'll push the enemy back into the canyon and collapse it."

Mars stood at the command. Brushing the black glass from her knees, she disappeared into the smoke without a word.

Rei set the tea tray down on the low table with more noise than necessary, and Minako blinked open her eyes. "Are you falling asleep already?" she asked.

Minako leaned up on her elbows to watch the other girl. Rei flipped back her long sleeves with a flick of her wrist and served the tea with an elegant air. Minako made a face: she would have spilled tea all over herself and soaked her sleeves up to the elbows.

"Your face will freeze that way," Rei advised her.

"Hope you fall on yours," Minako told her with a smile.

Rei snorted. "Drink your tea before it gets cold."

She only picked up the tea cup and watched the stray tea leaves settle to the bottom. "Do you ever think about it?"

"It." Rei repeated to herself. She sipped her tea. "Mina-chan, I've told you. I can't read your mind. It's too empty."

"The Silver Millennium." Minako let her head fall back to the table. Rei stayed quiet, letting Minako work out her more specific thoughts. "Our past. Who we were. Were we…do you think we're the same people from before? Are we different? Are…are we going to be the people we were again, once we're older?"

"Mina-chan." Rei reached out and ran her fingers through Minako's bangs.

"Before I joined you, all of you, I would dream. I would dream of the past. Flashes of how things were, of the final days. I…" Minako trailed off. Rei continued to run her fingers through the blonde's hair.

The quiet stretched on. Outside, the crows cawed to each other in conversation and flew off toward the front entrance of the shrine. The sound of the stream flowing over the rocks floated up from the gardens. It was a peaceful summer day.

"I have seen things, in the fire," Rei almost whispered in the quiet. "Of the past. Of…of the future." Minako said nothing, only turned her head so Rei's hand slide down to rest upon her neck. Rei laid her head on Minako's shoulder. "When I think of Usagi-chan's wish: to be a normal girl, I am glad fate intervened. For what I have seen…" Rei trailed off and turned her head to hide her face in Minako's hair. The blonde closed her eyes and held both Rei's hands to her chest. "It is our destiny, and there is no place I would rather be than here. With you, with everyone."

"Rei-chan." Minako whispered. She turned her head slightly, and the two girls rubbed their foreheads together. "…the tea will get cold."

"That's all right," Rei told her without moving.

***

There was a naked woman pressed against her (also very naked) back. One arm was draped over her waist. It didn't feel sexual. ...Not exactly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He is a king, yes, but a Terran king, cousin. It is not the same thing," her bed companion whispered smoothly in her ear. "It is forbidden, and rightfully. No matter what you might think of the seers and prophesy."

"Yes, but..."

"Yes, but." Her companion repeated as she sat up. Mercury leaned over her now, her small breasts hanging free in the cool night air.

"He is...unlike any king I have meet before," she insisted. "He rides into battle. He helps train his own troops. He is involved in everything, all the daily running of his lands. Have you ever met a king such as that? Even Ashur--"

"Our cousin is your regent. And he has stewards. There are limits of what he is allowed. You know this."

"Yes, but..."

"Yes, but." Mercury repeated again. A hand smoothed over her belly. "You are the heir, the first born of Venus. You are second in rank only to our princess. That is not your path. You must either marry our cousin and make him your king, or you must never marry and make one of his mistress' sons your heir. Why can he not be a consort? It is a respected position. Or continue as you are now. You have been discreet."

"It is not the same for him. It would not be allowed; for it to be found out that he even had a discreet dalliance with a Moon courtier, let alone with me--"

Mercury sighed and flopped back down on the bed. "If you insist on some sort of Alliance, Jupiter is the only choice. She comes from a merchant family and is free to choose. Mars and I can not. You can not."

"Yes, but..."

Mercury rolled over. "Yes, but..." was repeated against the corner of her mouth in a not exactly kiss.

Minako was hit with an oversized pink bunny easer directly between the eyes. "Ooooow," she moaned.

Ami blinked wide, innocent eyes at her from across the computer desk. "I'm sorry, were you resting?" she asked kindly. "I know it takes a great deal of energy to run late to class and eat up three sandwiches in someone else's bento. ...Mina-chan, are you blushing?"

Yes, she was, but she wasn't going to admit that. Minako sniffled. "That hurt!"

Ami was instantly apologetic. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think you would let it hit you! Here, let me-- aiya!"

Minako cackled when she got Ami into a headlock. "Works every time! Revenge!"

Maybe noogies would help get the feeling of making out with a naked Ami out of her head before class started again.

***

She was hiding behind a column on the outskirts of a palace garden. The full moon was high overhead, and that made her feel very uncomfortable. Even if the gardens were lovely by moonlight.

The princess had escaped again, down to the Earth to see her savage prince. They were hiding in the gardens, whispering sweet words to each other behind a curtain of bamboo leaves. She was watching them from the shadows, magically disguised as a rather plain palace servant. Another one of those dream facts one simply knew. She would give them a few more moments together, she thought, and then return Serenity to the Moon. Just a few moments more…

"You should not linger here," a man whispered in her ear.

She was not surprised. She did not even move. "You believe so?" she asked the air.

A cape was lifted up to block her from view from the rest of the corridor. She turned her face up to stare into green, green eyes.

"If you were discovered," the man whispered.

Boldly, she interrupted, "If one did not know better, my king, one would think you were worried for me."

He was quiet; his face a breath from hers. "…No matter your disguise, your eyes are always the same blue," he whispered.

"What?"

"They have had long enough, do you not agree?" He straightened, letting his cape fall away. "Ah, captain. A quick word." With that, he was walking away from her toward the approaching company of guards, his cape bellowing behind him.

It was when he looked back at her over his shoulder: that was when the blurry illusion of memory shattered. He walked through a patch of moonlight that glinted off the long, pale stone earrings he wore, and she knew him.

Minako sat up in bed. The heat was still stiffening, and she flung off her comforter (and guardian cat, much to Artemis' dismay) and threw open the window over her bed.

"Minako!" Artemis wormed his way out from under her blanket and glared up from the floor. "What is wrong with you? I was sound asleep!"

"I'm--I'm sorry. I." She swallowed another deep breath of fresh air. "I think I had a nightmare."

"You think?" Artemis was beginning to soften. His ward did look shaken. At least he hadn't been kicked or stepped on. "You don't remember?"

"No. No, I. It was something? Something unpleasant? I'm sorry, kitty. Go back to sleep. It's nothing." Minako let out a weak laugh. "Me being silly."

"Well, if you're sure…" Artemis knew he should fight hard and get a real answer out of her, but the blanket was just so comfortable. And it was so hot. And he had been sound asleep when he had woken up midflight. With a big kitty yawn, he flopped face first into the comforter and was a sleep within seconds.

Minako watched him until she was sure Artemis was fast asleep and then turned back to the window. The moon was full overhead. Maybe that was it. The full moon did odd things to people. The face from her dream, of a man with deep green eyes and an almost pleasant expression superimposed itself in her mind next to her memory of an enemy.

"Kunzite," she whispered to the stars.

***

"Mina-chan, that's. That's almost right." Ami took her glasses off and squeezed the bridge of her nose. Minako blinked her big blue eyes and tried to look innocent. "Do you remember what I told you before about substitutions?"

"Um."

"Mina-chan!"

Honestly, she was distracted. All she could see when Ami talked to her was a naked Mercury dancing through fields of wildflowers. Everything she said came out "blah blah blah, boobies, blah blah, wanna make out this century?, blah blah".

"May be you can walk me through it one more time?" Minako flashed her best smile at her friend. She heard Makoto snort from behind her own stack of practice books.

Ami sighed, slipped her glasses back on her nose, and bent over the math text yet again. "First, you have to find the lowest common denominator…"

"…the Jovian naval fleet is at its lowest numbers in over a century. The farther flung moons will be a prime target for pirate raids once the harvest season beings." Mercury was bent over her computer, her mop of blue hair barely visible above the screen.

"Where are the weakest links in the patrol network?" she asked.

"All of the patrols are weak," Mars informed the group.

Jupiter slammed her fist down on the table. "Be careful, witch, or your planet's grain shipments will suddenly lessen."

"Be careful. Advice you should heed yourself. Or those mineral rights your cousins keep demanding are theirs in the Asteroid systems will suddenly--"

"I will not have my family's honor questioned by the likes of--" Jupiter started.

"And I will not be threatened by some backwater--" Mars interrupted.

"Enough," she intoned.

A vast map of the solar system blinked into life, floating over their heads. The mass of multicolor lights and lines meant absolutely nothing to her now, but she knew that a thousand years ago, it made perfect sense. She had even memorized most of the trade routes.

"Here, here," without looking up, Mercury waved her fingers at the floating map. Several points became brighter. "And this area of the Asteroid Belt."

"Add a dozen ships from our own planetary fleets to their patrols."

Mars snorted loudly at the proclamation. Jupiter slammed her fist down again on the stone table. It cracked. Mars looked even more pleased with herself.

Mercury looked up and glanced vaguely in the direction of her fellow senshi before looking back down again. "My ministers inform me there are no ships to spare for any further--"

"Then take it from my own fleets and Mars. The inner system must be protected! I have had several strange reports from that area of the Belt. Better we--"

"Mina-chan?"

Minako blinked. Ami and Makoto were staring at her.

"You, ah. You said something about ships?" Ami asked.

"I did?"

"Yes." Makoto was looking at her oddly now.

"Ships. Oh, ships!" Minako put her head behind her head and laughed. "It's this space pirate manga I was reading! There's this cat girl captain that wants to have a love affair with the dog faced pirate man, but the tentacled police officer won't--"

"That's nice, Mina-chan. Why don't you try this problem for me again?" Ami looked so hopeful.

"Idiot!" Rei shouted at Usagi and ripped a rice cake from the blonde's mouth.

"Rei-chan! You're so mean! I'm huuuuungry!" Tears formed at the corner of Usagi's eyes. She pawed the air above her head where Rei kept the tray of rice cakes and tea out of the girl's reach.

"How many problems have you finished? Correctly?!"

"Hey, hey, may be we need some food to help us study better. How about a snack break?" Makoto easily plucked the tray from Rei's grip and brought it down to everyone's level.

"Hurrah!" Usagi and Minako leapt and shoved as many snacks in their mouths as possible before Rei could smack them both with a handy broom.

"Race you!" Minako shouted at Usagi, spraying crumbs every where. "First one that finishes a packet wins Makoto's extra honey cake!"

Usagi got so excited, she swallowed wrong and fell over from lack of oxygen. Makoto helpfully shoved her away from the table and started frantically trying to solving math problems alongside Minako. Sometimes, they even accidentally got a few things right! Rei rolled her eyes and tried to cover up a smile.

"No, no, no!" Ami flailed and pulled at her short, blue hair. "Faster but wrong doesn't help!" She tried to throw herself between her friends and their study books.

Minako laughed and tickled the bit of Ami's belly that peeked out from under her uniform top. It helped hide the shaking of her hands.

***

She was on the horse again. The man behind her was lazily running his hand across her ribcage, just below her breast. She was singing softly as they bobbed to and fro.

"The morning star," Minako sang to herself as she walked toward the bus stop. "Follow the white path of destiny home. --Aiya!" Her school satchel fell to the ground with a clatter. She stumbled and held her head with one hand, bracing herself against the wall with the other. "Not now. Please, please," she whispered to herself.

She looked up. The Tokyo street at twilight quivered and warred with a rocky desert trail at the early moments of dawn.

"No, no, no. I don't have time for--this--!" Minako took heavy steps away from the wall, picked up her satchel , and heaved herself to the bus stop. The man waiting there gave her a sidelong look over his newspaper. She ignored him. She still felt lightheaded and very, very confused. It looked awfully bright out to be almost dark.

The bus came.

"Thank Kami!" Minako shouted and leapt onboard. The driver and other passengers gave her odd looks. The man from the bus stop sat pointedly away from her and crinkled his newspaper loudly. She ignored them all and leaned her forehead against the metal pole next to her seat. It was slightly cooler than the warm bus, but not by much. She closed her eyes.

The desert swam into view behind her closed eyelids.

She sat up with a start. The man gave her another look. Two woman across the way moved out of her sight range. Her hands shook. Quickly, she shoved them under the folds of her skirt, out of view. She shook her head from side to side. Outside the bus window, it was almost full dark. The cityscape blurred by.

The horse crested the ridge.

"Please," Minako whispered.

She and Kunzite sat looking out over a desert plateau just as the sun was beginning to rise. The sky changed from deep blue to pale pink, the stars slowly faded, and she could now see where the rocky desert ended and the fertile farmlands of the foothills began. In the distance, there were the faint purple outlines of high mountains.

"How can your world have so many colors?" she asked in wonderment.

"...so many colors..." Minako whispered.

"My father would often bring me here when I was young. He said it was my mother's favorite place," the memory told her with that deep, bass voice. It gave her goosebumps and her heart give this odd quiver.

A young man, some college student with purple hair and extra large headphones, was across the way from her now.

She turned to smile up at Kunzite. "Your favorite place as well." The college student looked at her funny. Was she talking to him?

Kunzite continued to look out over his kingdom, but the corner of his mouth quirked up in a small smile. "I come here when I can, especially after long missions away."

"You share much with me, my king."

"...Miss?" she heard the college student ask from far away.

Kunzite watched her for a long moment before leaning down and kissing her: a warm, chaste press of mouths that was full of unsaid promises. "Yes," he whispered.

"Miss?" The college student had reached across the aisle and shaken her shoulder. Minako blinked several times. She felt like she was coming out of a deep sleep. Her mind was groggy. The young man had green eyes.

She blinked again. No, his eyes were brown.

"Are you all right?" he asked her carefully. He hadn't let go of her shoulder yet.

"I..."

The bus was stopped. Minako stood up with a start. She grabbed her bag and bound out the exit just as the doors were closing. The bus driver yelled at her and shook his fist as he pulled away. The young man that had woken her from her memories looked out the window at her as the bus pulled away.


	2. Fall

_This second part is really Minako starting to question her sanity as her memories overwhelm her. This is the last section the will feature solely Venus/Kunzite, and that's all I'm going to say about that. :D I hope you like this one!_

* * *

Minako sat down with a whoosh of air on the volleyball court sidelines. Usagi and Makoto hooted at her from the bleachers. Ami was engrossed in her book, her glasses glinting in the sunlight. Minako laughed and waved at her friends.

"That's sweet. Your friends coming to cheer for you during practice," one of the older team members, Keiko, told her.

Minako smiled.

She could see the image of a much younger Princess Serenity bouncing next to a much more sedate Sailor Mars superimposed over her friends of today. They were seated along the steps of a vaguely Grecian style gazebo raised above the multipurpose fields of the practice grounds.

She was waving from far away. Sailor Jupiter took advantage of her distraction and knocked her off her feet. Venus twisted on her back, wrapped her legs about Jupiter's, and twisted again. The two tussled on the ground: Jupiter had the height and the reach of her, but Venus was a dirty fighter in close quarters. It was all going according to her plan as she smashed Jupiter's face into the dirt until an icy chill settled over her. Jupiter's eyes widened below her. Not good!

They both rolled together, before Venus used her stronger legs to kick Jupiter upright while the other used her momentum to pull her leader after her. They landed a few meters from their starting point that was now covered in ice.

Mercury smiled and waved from the other side of the practice field. "Oh, were you dueling?" she called to them, very politely.

"Aino-kun?" Keiko snapped her fingers next to Minako's face. "Are you all right?"

Ami had put away her book and was now laughing at something Makoto had said. She could hear Usagi asking, "What, what? What's so funny?" even from this side of court.

Minako shook her head with a smile and pulled her knee pads back into place. "Sorry! It's--it's just so nice of them!"

The referee blew the whistle. Minako rushed to replace one of the other girls. In the background, she could hear all three of her friends shouting encouragement. The volleyball was passed to her, she set, and she served. The other team didn't have a chance.

***

She was in a tent. A very well decorated tent, but a tent. There was a carpet to cover the rocky ground. There was a low table covered in maps. Colorful silks and throws were everywhere. A bed of rushes set off to the side was given a form of privacy by a cloth canopy.

And she was filthy: covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. Some her own, mostly not. She had fought and led a battle. It had gone well but not well enough. She was tired, bone tired. Yet. Yet.

"Princess," that wind rough voice whispered in her ear. "You should rest."

She closed her eyes. "I will," she whispered back. "But I wished to see to you."

"Aino!" Sensei smacked her on the side of the head with a rolled up paper. "Where are you?! Read aloud paragraphs 10 through 25!"

Minako stood up quickly, stumbled slightly, and then stuttered her way through several small English examples of Aesop's Fables. Sensei glared at her after she finished but moved on to the next student, a boy two rows forward who had snickered at her getting caught daydreaming.

"V-chan," Usagi whispered behind her. "V-chan!" Minako shook her head. "But, V-chan! What's wrong?" Usagi continued even louder.

And was promptly smacked on the head by Sensei.

"Tsukino! Paragraphs 75 through 125!"

"W-what?!" Usagi stuttered. "But! I didn't read that far!"

"WHAT?" Sensei shouted.

Minako could see Ami cover her face with her hands out of the corner of her eye. Makoto, on the other hand, was trying desperately to signal Usagi to look at her so she could mouth the words. Makoto was mostly wrong, but it was more right than Usagi would guess.

She looked out the open window to prevent herself from giggling. The sun was bright, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was almost time for summer break.

The only light source was a single candle burning on the low table in the center of the tent. The wax was threatening to overflow and cover the maps it held in place. Minako rubbed at her temple. She was still sitting at her desk by the window. Usagi was still haltingly sounding out Engrish at Sensei who was slowly turning purple.

Kunzite shrugged out of the long, leather tunic that acted as his armor. There was no more haze of memory: this was Kunzite, vividly saturated. The tent, with its riot of colors, was dull in comparison. He was the brightest thing in her mind's eye. His green eyes were the brightest color of all.

"See to me?" The corner of his mouth almost twitched upward but not quite. There was a large bruise on his left side of his jaw, and a bloody gash in his hairline that streaked his silver hair a dull pink. He reached out and carefully stroked down the column of her neck with two lashed-together, broken fingers of his right hand. It hurt. Her entire torso throbbed. She must have have bruised a rib or three. "You should see to yourself first."

"It is tradition," she whispered back. "After the battle is won," and she continued on over his huff of disagreement. "Yes, even if that battle is a stalemate that we are lucky the enemy retreated from, the battle is won. But after it is won, we must cleanse. It is very common on the other worlds. I wash your back, you wash mine."

He did smile then. "I am but your backscrub, lady?"

She reached upward and touched his lips with her fingers. His smile disappeared. His lips were rough and cracked. Nothing like she had felt before. She smiled. "Yes," she lied.

"Aino! Help Tsukino-- AINO!" Sensei smacked the back of her head with his hand this time. "Don't fall asleep again when I am standing right here! Stand up and help Tsukino!"

Minako stared up at Sensei without moving. She was still mostly inside her head: she felt her dress pool about her feet as Sensei dragged her up from her seat. The touch of Usagi's hand against her wrist stuttered against the feeling of Kunzite tying back her long hair and dropping a kiss on the back of her neck.

"The... the..." Minako stared down at the page. She had no idea where she was supposed to be looking. There was water dripping down her back.

"The cow!" Usagi shouted.

"Crow," Minako corrected. She picked one of the paragraphs at random. "The crow stole a piece of meat and per--perched..."

Kunzite dipped the cloth into the basin again, and the water turned pink. He rubbed across her collarbones, then gently patted instead when she sucked in a breath from pain. One hand almost accidentally traced the curve of her breast, and Kunzite never broke eye contact.

Minako bit her lip. Usagi struggled on, replacing "beak" with "butt" and explaining how the fox liked big butts and it could not lie.

She took the cloth from Kunzite's hand and dipped it once more into the basin. He settled one hand on her hip, and with the other fully squeezed her breast. Even flicked her nipple. Minako's eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. Sensei was starting to look concerned, and not just for Usagi's horrible translation.

She washed the blood from his face, the grime from his eyes, wet his dry lips. He bent slightly to let her scrub the caked blood from the shallow gash across his shoulder. Every muscle was tense under her fingers as she traced lower. When she came to the belt that kept his leather apron tight about his hips, she hesitated. Then tugged the belt from its loop.

That broke the spell of inaction. Kunzite snatched her up, tossing her up his body so her breasts were at level with his mouth and bit. She let out a shriek at the pain to her bruised body and then another when he dropped her without ceremony on to his rough bed. The universe blurred, he fumbled between their bodies, and then shoved.

Minako stumbled to the side. Usagi instantly dropped her book and steadied her. "Mina-chan! Mina-chan!"

It was frantic. She was pressing upward, he was shoving forward. Her hips and back were in agony from the slamming of their bodies. Kunzite muttered something into the valley of her breasts and kissed a wet, messy path up to her pulse point. She panted, tightening her grip with her ankles around the small of his back. It was nothing like the ecchi manga Minako sometimes stole peeks at in the bookstores. This was not a gentle thing. It was wet and it hurt, and her hair was stuck under her elbow, letting her neck only move so far. It was incredible.

"Do not stop! Do not--!" She shoved back hard. Dug her fingers into his back.

"...don't..." Minako slurred to Usagi.

"Don't what?" Usagi whispered frantically. Makoto gave up pretensions and shot out of her seat to Minako's other side.

"Sensei, Sensei!" Ami was almost shouting.

Kunzite licked his fingers and shoved his hand between them. He rubbed his thumb in a circular motion around her clit and pinched. She bit him on the shoulder and shuddered.

"Aino!" Sensei shook Minako by both shoulders. He was staring at her with real concern. The entire class was watching them. Some had gotten out of their seats to get a better look. Usagi had her by the hand, her face white. Makoto had her arm around her waist. Ami was just over Sensei's shoulder, about to shove him out of the way.

Kunzite groaned over her with one last violent slam and collapsed on top of her.

Minako vomited on Sensei's shoes and darted from the classroom in the stunned silence.

Usagi found her curled up on the floor of the girl's bathroom on the third floor. She had no idea how she had gotten there. Her hair was plastered to her face, sweat soaked through her uniform top.

"Mina-chan!" Usagi stumbled down next to her and lifted Minako's head into her lap. "Mina-chan! What's wrong? Tell me!"

Minako shook her head again and again. Usagi's hands were cool against her forehead and cheeks. She tried to burrow into Usagi's lap. Usagi would make it all better; she always did.

"You're burning up!"

Makoto came galloping into the bathroom. The door slammed so hard against the wall that the plaster dented. "What is it? What happened?"

"She's burning up! She won't answer me, and she's burning up!" Usagi was becoming frantic. "V-chan! Talk to me! Please! What's wrong!"

"Ami!" Makoto ran back out the door shouting. "Ami, come here quickly!"

The candle had almost burnt out. Kunzite pulled a thick fur from a storage chest and draped it over the both of them. It was now dusk, and the desert was starting to cool.

"You should return," he whispered even as he settled next to her in bed.

"You wish to be rid of me so quickly?" she teased.

"Will you not be missed?"

"No." She whispered against his mouth. "It is expected of me. Jupiter is distracting most of the camp with her javelin contest with your second-in-command. They will all sleep late into the morning, and no one will see from which tent I will emerge." Still teasing, "Your reputation is safe, my king."

He let out a deep laugh, something she rarely heard. "Thank you, lady, for your forward thinking."

"I am a great military commander," she reminded him.

He settled over her on his elbows, both of them smiling at their oh so witty pillow talk. The tent was dark now. The candle had finally burnt out. "I..." Kunzite started and stopped. His green, green eyes were the only thing she could see any more. "You are the greatest woman I have ever known."

Minako sat up and tried to stumble to the toilet. "Mako-chan!" Usagi shouted. She tried to wedge herself under Minako's shoulder and almost lost her footing. Makoto ran back inside, helped Minako to a stall, and both she and Usagi held Minako's hair back as she vomited.

"I'm sorry!" Minako cried. "I'm so sorry!"

***

"Daisuke is thinking of leaving the band again," Minako heard from far, far away. She opened her eyes slowly then closed them again. The light hurt. "I know you'll hate it, but I think Edo should leave for his own career. I'd buy his CD. ...I think I'm outgrowing boy groups," Makoto continued.

"Traitor," Minako whispered.

The magazine closed and Makato felt her friend's forehead. "You're still burning up. Here, drink some water."

"Yes, mama," Minako whispered again.

"Do it or I dump it on your head."

Minako let out a tired laugh and did as she was told.

"How are you feeling?" Makoto finally asked. "And don't say 'fine' or 'good'. You're not."

"...tired," Minako finally admitted. "I don't feel like I've slept, even though I know I have. And I'm afraid to stand up again. I almost crushed Rei-chan."

"You're sick." Makoto ran a hand through Minako's bangs and smiled down at her. "You've been asleep on and off for the last two days. Ami-chan and Rei-chan dragged Usagi-chan home a bit ago. Ami said she'd come stay with you for a while tomorrow. They're all worried about you."

Minako caught her hand and held it. "But not you?"

"I trust you to tell me if something's wrong."

In her mind's eye, Minako could see a different conversation. Sailor Jupiter was storming away from her. "You never trusted me! Never! You always kept your plans to yourself! You should have told me what you had hoped-- I would have gone along with it! I liked him! We were friends! I would have been happy!"

"I had hoped it would come naturally, that you would choose him yourself. You're the only one us among that-- that--"

"That isn't nobility? Do not rub that in my face now, princess--"

"That could choose for yourself! You are so free, Jupiter! I wish--"

Jupiter turned then. The hallway darkened, and every hair on Venus' body stood up on end. "No wishes. Not now. Serenity has made enough of those for all of us. You hid yourself from me, and now look at us. We will do our duty and do it gladly, as you always remind me. There is nothing more to say on the subject, your majesty."

"Mina-chan?"

Minako blinked back the cloudy haze of memory. Makoto was still sitting next to her bed, surrounded by a stack of celebrity magazines she and the other girls had collected just for her enjoyment.

"I'm sorry," Minako whispered. She wanted to cry but her eyes were dry. She never cried but for the past few days, she had been nothing but tears. Now, they would not even come.

"Mina-chan, please." Makoto put her arms around her friend and hugged her. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about! You're sick."

Minako shook her head again and again.

***

It was the middle of the night. Minako had no idea why she was awake, but she was now. Her head still felt like it was filled with cotton. She sat up slightly then slid back down under the covers when the world swam. Yes, she was still dizzy. Artemis made a snuffing noise in his sleep and curled into an even tighter ball next to Minako's knee.

She sat up slowly this time and managed to swing her legs over the side of the bed before she had to stop and wait for the world to right itself. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, rubbed at her nose with the back of her wrist, and then blinked. Kunzite was standing in front of her. He looked rather surprised to be in the center of her room, but Minako wasn't. She had been dreaming of the past for three months. What was one more hallucination in her own bedroom?

"...Lady?" he whispered.

Minako shrugged. "Not very ladylike right now." She hadn't showered in two days, not since she last woke up when Makoto was there to help her.

He knelt (rather shakily) in front of her. "Lady," he whispered again. This time, he went so far as to almost touch her knees. Minako simply stared at him and said nothing. The memories always acted for her. She felt a compulsion to act them out, sometimes, but never made an active decision to do so. Kunzite continued to stare at her. Nothing happened. Minako blinked again. Her room was dark, in its natural state of cluttered chaos, and empty. Save for her talking cat.

Artemis stretched next to her and blinked sleepy eyes at her.

"Mina-chan," he whispered half asleep but still excited. "You're awake!" He rolled over and buried his face in her hip. And promptly rolled away with a disgusted face. "You smell horrible!"

"Thanks, kitty," Minako told him with a smile.

***

Minako straightened her bow in the mirror. Over her shoulder, Kunzite watched her.

"It's the first day of summer vacation," Artemis muttered sleepily. He was curled up in the sunspot below Minako's window. "Aren't you supposed to sleep late and eat junk food?"

Minako giggled and compared earrings to her outfit. Her mirror companion was gone. "I was stuck in bed for almost two weeks and only got to go to the last day of classes! I don't need any more sleep for a week! I'm lucky the volleyball club needs me so much or I'd be out of a spot."

Artemis grumbled some more and rolled over onto his back.

***

"V-chaaaaan!" Usagi shouted before tackling her friend. Minako went down and took her princess with her.

"Usagi! Be careful! Mina-chan's been very, very sick." Rei scolded her and started to tug her off Minako by a pigtail.

"It's okay!" Minako clung to her princess. "I've missed you all so much! Come on, let's go!" Keeping a firm grip on Usagi's hand, Minako skipped down the sidewalk.

Usagi laughed and stumbled along after her. Makoto grinned and laughed, following behind them at a leisurely walk, quickly overtaking the shorter girls. Ami smiled wanly at Rei and followed behind their friends. Minako looked over her shoulder. She saw Sailor Mars standing alone on the burning ruins of the Moon, her uniform in tattered ruins and tears streaming down her face.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi shouted. She let go of Minako and ran back. "Rei-chan, come on!" Usagi took up Rei's hand, dragged the other girl behind her, and grabbed Minako's hand once more. She grinned at them both and started skipping again. "We'll never get a good table if you two are so slow!"

Minako laughed as Rei rolled her eyes with a smile.

***

Sailor Venus stood on a hill near the center of a great hanging garden. Golden vines curled up and over themselves in impossible loops, glittering against the never changing velvet sky. Red, white, and green flowers and fruit hung heavy above her head. Their scent was thick, sticking in the back of her throat. She took a deep breath. She loved this place. She would always love this place.

The Holy Blade was in her hand even before she turned (...the sword was lost forever in the grave of the Dark Kingdom). She kept her eyes locked with Kunzite's, the sword balanced over her forearm and never letting the point waver from his throat. Neither moved.

"Why are you here?" she asked at last.

Kunzite walked onto her sword.

Minako sat up in bed. It was late morning. She needed to go for a jog. Classes started back in a few weeks, and she had to be in top shape for the volleyball club. She had to prove that being sick at the end of term had not left her weak!

She started to pull off her pajama top then stopped. She looked in the mirror. Kunzite looked back at her. "Turn your head," she told him over her mostly bare shoulder with her shirt tight over her breasts. He nodded and turned his head. She even thought he might have blushed.

Minako shrugged. In a whirlwind of motion, she stripped down, threw on her gym uniform, and was out the door.

***

It was Mars, this time. The world smelt of smoke and was covered in ashe. On the distant mountain ridge, a white palace burnt and crumbled to the ground.

"Answer me," Venus intoned. Once again, her sword was raised and ready. "And don't try and kill yourself this time."

Kunzite bowed and offered his palms up to her. "Lady, I--"

"Did you do this to me?" she spat. "Did you give me false memories?"

"I serve only my master. There is nothing I could--"

"Do you haunt him, too?" She advanced slowly. "Is that what you call service? Ghosting through his mind and jumbling up his past and present to the point he's sick? Did you do this to him, too?"

Kunzite did not back away. He kept his open hands in her view and his expression calm. "I did nothing to you, lady--"

"I know you!" she shouted into the silence of this long dead world. "Who you were! What you did!" Her sword wavered for a moment then held true. Kunzite almost formed an expression at her movement. "Are you an enemy? Are you some figment someone made to prod at me? I've embraced my destiny! My fate is to continue fighting! I won't give up!" She took a step forward. The sword point rested against Kunzite's cheek.

"I know," he whispered.

"I won't give in," she whispered back. "I will protect them. All of them."

"You have. I have seen it."

Mars melted around them. Her bedroom flooded into place, washed in tones of blue. The full moon was huge outside her window. Artemis was asleep at the foot of her messy bed. It was Minako in her sunflower pajama pants and ratty tank top who stood facing the leader of the Shitenou.

Kunzite took a step toward her. The room suddenly felt very small and very warm. "...Thank you, lady," he whispered. "For all that you have done." He kept his hands low but within her sight at all times.

There was a long pause. She could hear city traffic outside her window, Artemis lightly snoring, and their combined breathing. Minako looked at him then. She took in the obvious crinkles around his eyes and mouth from smiles and laughter. While his hair was silver, there were obvious bits of grey that were dull against the shine of the rest of his hair; just along his temples. On the open hands he offered her, she could see the calluses from years of sword handling and manual labor. She reached out and touched with her thumb: these were the same hands she remembered from her dreams. Even if she was embarrassed that she remembered the exact feel of his rough hands across her body, they were the same. Was this too much to create for an illusion?

"It was real, wasn't it? All the things I saw. About you."

A small, sad smile bloomed slowly across his face when she changed her grip and brushed her fingers over his knuckles. He hesitated then. His face was a few inches above hers, both their heads tilting together but never breaking eye contact.

"You will always be the greatest woman I have ever known," he whispered. His breath was warm against her lips. Everything was tense, tight as a bow string. Something was about to snap, and she wasn't sure if that would be so horrible.

"Please wake up," Kunzite suddenly whispered as he leaned closer.

Minako opened her eyes. She was standing alone in the middle of her dark room.


End file.
